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Ludhiana’s daily Covid count goes below 100 for first time in 96 days
In another major respite, the number of daily deaths in Ludhiana also dipped to two, a first in three months. The daily count cases first started swelling on April 25 when a burgeoning 1,389 cases were recorded. The spike then continued for the next two weeks, reaching an initial peak of 1,600 cases on May 1 followed by 1,729 cases and 22 deaths on May 9.
For the first time in four months, Ludhiana’s daily Covid count fell below 100 to settle at 92 on Saturday. In another major respite, the number of daily deaths also dipped to two, a first in three months.
The district currently has 1,531 active cases. Since the outbreak in March 2020, Ludhiana has recorded a total of 86,153 Covid cases and 2,060 deaths.
It was on March 8 this year that the daily count of cases remained in double digits at 92 following which the cases consistently went up, reaching a peak of 1,729 on May 9.
The two who died on Saturday are women aged 65 and 57, residents of Mandaini Kalan and Guru Nanak Colony respectively.
There are 26 Covid patients currently on ventilator support in various hospitals of the city.
The daily count cases first started swelling on April 25 when a burgeoning 1,389 cases were recorded. On this day, the cases had not only surpassed the 1,000-mark but also increased by a whopping 60% from the previous day’s count of 861 cases.
The spike then continued for the next two weeks, reaching an initial peak of 1,600 cases on May 1 followed by 1,729 cases and 22 deaths on May 9. On May 10 and May 11, the death count was 30 which sent a wave of panic across the city and left the cremation grounds choked to capacity. All hospitals in the city were fully occupied during this time with the medical fraternity going through the worst of times, witnessing horrifying moments with so many deaths happening on a daily basis.
The huge number of daily cases and deaths fuelled the administration to announce a slew of restrictions, including a 17-hour daily curfew from May 9. Restrictions started to ease only after May 20 when curfew timings were first relaxed with shops being allowed to open till 1pm instead of noon. At present, all shops are open from 5am to 6pm on all week days and Saturdays.
Deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said while it is a huge respite that daily cases and deaths have come down, there should be no complacency and residents should adhere to wearing masks and practicing social distancing at all times. “Venture out of homes only when absolutely necessary. As restrictions are being eased, it is observed that people tend to be casual, which should not happen as we have to avoid the third wave,” he said.
